Kenneth O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| White House Appointments Secretary | |
| In office January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Thomas Stephens (Appointments Secretary) Wilton Persons (Chief of Staff) |
| Succeeded by | Jack Valenti (Appointments Secretary) Walter Jenkins (Chief of Staff, de facto) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell March 4, 1924 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 1977 (aged 53) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holyhood Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Helen Sullivan
(m. 1947; died 1977)Asta Steinfatt (m. 1977) |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Alice Guerin Cleo Albert O'Donnell |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Boston College (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell[1] (March 4, 1924 – September 9, 1977) was an American political consultant and the special assistant and appointments secretary to President John F. Kennedy from 1961 until Kennedy's assassination in November 1963. O'Donnell was a close friend of President Kennedy and his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy. O'Donnell, along with Larry O'Brien and David Powers, was part of the group of Kennedy's close advisers dubbed the "Irish Mafia."[2]
O'Donnell also served as an aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1963 to 1965. He later served as an adviser to Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign.
- ^ "Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell." Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 10: 1976–1980. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1995.
- ^ Barnes, Bart (March 28, 1998). "JFK Aide David Francis Powers Dies at 85". The Washington Post. p. B06. Retrieved March 13, 2023.